Crimson Regret and Betrayal
by Akuma-Chibi
Summary: When Sakura discovers the darkness that Konoha harbors, she makes a choice that is the beginning of a chain reaction. Leaving her village, no longer able to give her loyalty to a village that has lied to her about everything she grew up to know...she decides to go her own way, but what of the new trials she'll come to face? What of Naruto...Kakashi...Sai...Sasuke?
1. Prologue

**Crimson Regret and Betrayal**

 **Summary: When Sakura discovers the darkness that Konoha harbors, she makes a choice that is the beginning of a chain reaction. Leaving her village, no longer able to give her loyalty to a village that has lied to her about everything she grew up to know...she decides to go her own way, but what of the new trials she'll come to face? What of Naruto...Kakashi...Sai...Sasuke?**

 **Genre: Drama/Action**

 **Pairing: Sakura/?**

 **Anime: Naruto**

 **Rated: M**

 **A/N: So this will take place sometime after Sakura saves Kankuro, the Akatsuki are still at large, and Sasuke is still missing. I won't give a specific time during Shippuden, since I've never seen Shippuden, please just trust my never-ending source of Naruto Knowledge. I hope you all enjoy this story, I've worked very hard at making it steady paced and enjoyable among most if not all my readers. It's plotted, and hopefully, it goes according to all my planning. The smart lot that you are, you must already be aware that I do** ** _not_** **own Naruto, but just in case you were under a genjutsu of some sort, let me just verify with you, I don't own Naruto. Much love, now enjoy. The prologue will be very short, but the following chapters will be long.**

 **-x-x-x-**

 **Prologue**

 **-x-x-x-**

 **All that I'm living for,  
All that I'm dying for,  
All that I can't ignore...alone at night.**

 **\- EVANESCENCE (All That I'm Living For)**

 **-x-x-x-**

In the darkness, shadows were cast over the streets of the ever seemingly peaceful village. It was this village where the darkest shadows were hidden in places where no eyes could seek them out. This village where the darkest shadows were cast unknowingly over the peacefully sleeping shinobi, children, civilians and the departed who gave their lives for this village...this village...Konoha.

Another shadow made its presence known in the darkness that clawed at it, seeking its dark veil. Clinging dangerously to the single eye that was revealed in the secret of the night. No light was shed, despite the stars that twinkled above, despite the moon that was hung high, there was no light, only darkness, only shadows...only secrets...

 _'Let me break you...your delusions...your dreamscape...kekeke...I will show you the darkness of this place you call home. This place you so readily give your life to protect. Little blossom, what will you do? What will you do once you have learned of the skeletons that are kept from your eyes in your own village?'_ That one red eye followed a single figure who walked the streets alone. A slight glow surrounding her in an ethereal way, caused by the figures uniquely light pink hair that stood out in stark contrast against the darkness that tried to lick at her feet as she walked. _"I will lay out the pieces for you, little blossom...and I shall wait for your move with baited breath."_

 **-x-x-x-**

 **Me: This is only the prologue to this story, I will post the first chapter immediately with this chapter, so don't worry so much for the length of this chapter, it was only meant to be a short opening. Hope you enjoyed it all the same.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Crimson Regret and Betrayal**

 **Summary: When Sakura discovers the darkness that Konoha harbors, she makes a choice that is the beginning of a chain reaction. Leaving her village, no longer able to give her loyalty to a village that has lied to her about everything she grew up to know...she decides to go her own way, but what of the new trials she'll come to face? What of Naruto...Kakashi...Sai...Sasuke?**

 **Genre: Drama/Action**

 **Pairing: Sakura/?**

 **Anime: Naruto**

 **Rated: M**

 **A/N: So this will take place sometime after Sakura saves Kankuro, the Akatsuki are still at large, and Sasuke is still missing. I won't give a specific time during Shippuden, since I've never seen Shippuden, please just trust my never-ending source of Naruto Knowledge. I hope you all enjoy this story, I've worked very hard at making it steady paced and enjoyable among most if not all my readers. It's plotted, and hopefully, it goes according to all my planning. The smart lot that you are, you must already be aware that I do** ** _not_** **own Naruto, but just in case you were under a genjutsu of some sort, let me just verify with you, I don't own Naruto. Much love, now enjoy.**

 **-x-x-x-**

 **Chapter One**

 **-x-x-x-**

 **Here in the shadows  
I'm safe  
I'm free  
I've nowhere else to go but  
I cannot stay where I don't belong**

 **\- EVANESCENCE (EXODUS)**

 **-x-x-x-**

Sakura smiled gleefully at the Jounin sitting in front of her on her gurney. "I can't believe you pierced your lip. I mean, I can see how it happened...but the fact that _you_ did it...such sweet karma."

"Damn, Sakura...contain your worry, your making me blush." Genma said with sarcasm dripping from his words. A senbon held loosely between his fingers as he watched the pink haired medic laugh at his source of pain. He knew he should have gone to one of the trainee medics. They may not be the best medics, but they didn't laugh at him either.

"Sorry, Genma...but really, how did this happen?" Sakura asked as she brought her thumb to his lip and pulled it gently to see where the senbon had gone straight through. "You're lucky you didn't break your teeth...or pierce the back of your throat." She let her finger glow and quickly healed the bleeding lip. This was by far her easiest patient all week. Even the kids come in with shuriken incisions or burn marks from incorrectly preformed Jutsu...but Genma? No...Genma comes in with a pierced lip...and a pout.

"What a lovely thought...thank you for that. Really." He gave her a blank look, "if you must know, I was sparring with Shizune...and...Well, the rest is self-explanatory."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "sure is. Well, you are fine, but I don't understand why Shizune couldn't heal you."

He glanced down at his hands, eyeing the tip of the senbon, he chuckled, "she was terrified to the point that she feinted from shock, I guess she thought I would catch it..."

"I think had it been anyone else, Genma, you would have caught the senbon. I know how you get distracted though, when Shizune's around." Sakura smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder and ushering him off her gurney and out of her office. She turned off the lights before locking the door behind her and walking down the hall with him beside her. "I wouldn't let it get to you, we all slip up occasionally, just don't let yourself slip up to the point that your next injury is more severe than a lip piercing."

"I won't..." He stopped at the split in the hall, "thanks again Sakura, I'll see you."

"Right, see ya, Genma!" She smiled and watched him leave down the hallway to the left before she walked down the one on her right. "Hey girls," she called, walking to the staff room where a few of the other medics were on breaks, "I'm calling it a night. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Right, sleep well, Sakura!"

"Night, Sakura!"

"See you tomorrow forehead," Ino smiled to her friend and the head medic at the hospital. She was still learning, and Sakura was teaching her, but she was on a fast track to being a great medic as well. Maybe not like Sakura, but great all the same.

"Night Ino-pig, girls." She turned and clocked out before leaving the hospital for the night. "I'll pay Tsunade a visit before going home."

 **-x-x-x-**

Arriving at the Hokage's tower, Sakura found herself walking the quiet halls of the building all alone. No one was around, no guards were stationed at the front entrance or even inside. She wondered momentarily if everyone had already gone home for the night, and if so, did that mean Tsunade herself had called it a night? "Not likely, she's probably still in her office, maybe having a late drink or something." She walked the trek up the steps and made her way to the Hokage's office, knocking lightly at the door, she heard nothing in reply. Frowning, she pushed open the door and peeked inside, surprised to find that no one was inside. "It's not that late...is it?"

"Sakura?"

Turning around, Sakura smiled and let a small breath of relief escape her, "for a moment I was worried, Shizune. Where is Lady Tsunade?"

"She's actually in a meeting with some council members, the guards left with her, if you were wondering why it was so quiet here. It's actually kind of creepy, but what can you do?"

Sakura nodded, she understood how limited they were of Shinobi, especially since most teams and squads were out on missions and many wouldn't be returning for a few more weeks. "How long will she be with the council?"

"No telling, but she only just got there a half hour ago. Did you need her for something?"

"No, I just came to pay her a visit, I just left the Hospital a little while ago...I guess I'll go to the archive, if that's okay."

Shizune smiled, "you know that's okay, Sakura. Actually, a few more scrolls and books were recently added by Izumo and Kotetsu. They've been so busy organizing the archive's as of late, I wouldn't be all that surprised if you found the two of them still in there."

Sakura smiled, "then I'll go bug them. Have a good rest of the night, Shizune."

"You too, Sakura."

 **-x-x-x-**

Sakura opened the door and found herself surrounded by a heavy silence. Her eyes trailed over the books along the shelves of the Achieve. "Izumo?" she called out, glancing around for the two shinobi as she did, "Kotetsu?" Her voice was carried over the scrolls and isles, walking down and around the corner of one isle, she scoffed at the sight she found. The two shinobi were leaning against each other, sleep having taken hold of them some time ago by the looks of it.

She looked at the scrolls lying off to the side of the two men and the aged look of the scrolls caught her attention, her curiosity taking hold of her and guiding her hand to touch one of the scrolls. She was careful not to wake Izumo who was holding the scroll she'd grabbed, sliding it out of his hand, she shook her head. _'I can't believe they are Tsunade's personal guards...'_ she smiled despite her thoughts and looked back to the scroll, unrolling it as she did. _'This is...this is a mission scroll...an information gathering mission, but it's ranked an A-Class mission. Classified...? This wasn't given by the Hokage...the one who gave this mission...was the Elder Danzo.'_ Her eyes roved over the scroll as she let gravity take her slowly, sliding against the shelves to the ground. _'...who was this for?'_ She searched the scroll for a name, any name, it was long, and as she unrolled the scroll a bit further, she found the information she'd been looking for.

 ** _Mission A Rank_**

 ** _Assigned to Itachi Uchiha_**

 ** _Investigate Transgressions of the Uchiha Clan_**

 _'...Itachi...this was Itachi's mission. He was gathering information on the Uchiha Clan? Why?'_

Reading further, she found her answer in bold.

 **Outcome: Success**

 ** _Findings: Evidence Suggesting Acts of Treason_**

 ** _Plots to Assassinate the Third Hokage_**

 _'Impossible...'_ her eyes were wide with her shock, her terror. Itachi Uchiha, he was a murderer. He was responsible for the massacre of his entire clan. However, the way this was going, she felt her stomach drop as she looked for more information, but found none. Rolling the scroll back up, she placed it next to her and grabbed another from next to Izumo, unrolling it, she went straight to who the mission was assigned to. _'Itachi Uchiha...!'_ The date assigned was a week after the first mission she read, _'CLASSIFIED – ANBU S Ranked, Eradication of the Uchiha Clan...! Leave no Survivors...?! Outcome, partial success...sole survivor, Susuke Uchiha. No...no, this is fake, this isn't possible...!'_ Sakura closed her eyes, tears forming at the edges as she fought to keep her emotions at bay.

Taking in everything she was reading, she looked at the other scrolls, the fact that Izumo and Kotetsu were still asleep...she was good at stealth, but not _that_ good. They were placed under a Genjutsu, she was certain of that, but...the scrolls _were_ real. She was equally certain of that. Itachi Uchiha...was not a heartless monster. He was a shinobi of Konoha, and he followed his orders like any loyal Shinobi should...only, he didn't...he left a survivor... "He left an avenger...someone who would come after him...someone who could kill him." She closed her eyes as understanding crashed down painfully on her shoulders. Picking up another scroll, this one was a report, the report was written by the Forth Hokage, and the mission was reported by Kakashi Hatake.

 ** _Mission A Rank_**

 ** _Assigned to Team Minato_**

 ** _Destroy the Kannabi Bridge_**

 **Outcome: Success**

 ** _Shinobi Deaths Accounted For: Obito Uchiha_**

 ** _Success due to the Aid of Minato Namikaze_**

 _"Why are these all under classified...why keep them secret...?"_

 ** _Mission Classified_**

 ** _Assigned to Classified_**

 ** _Investigate Orochimaru's Lab_**

 ** _Confiscate Information Regarding All Sixty Test Subjects_**

 **Outcome: Success**

 ** _Discovery: Sole Test Subject Alive_**

 ** _Shows signs of Wood Manipulation Jutsu's_**

 _'...Yamato...?'_

Sakura shook her head, reading well past the night, and straight into morning, she noted the scrolls piled beside her and brought her fingers up to her cheeks, sticky with the residue of her tears. Standing, she pulled out a scroll and quickly preformed a few hand signs before trapping the pile of scrolls in front of her within the single scroll she'd laid out. Looking down at the two Shinobi, she gave a sad smile before placing the scroll in her Medic pouch and leaving to the Hokage's office. She hated so much right now, and maybe she wasn't thinking straight, but as hateful and hurt as she felt, there was one thing she knew she wanted...no, she needed to do.

She let herself in and noted her Hokage's passed out body on the desk covered with stacks of paper. Next to her, two empty bottles of Sake, and a half-full bottle that lay on its side, the contents of which were dripping onto the desk and pooling off to the side and onto the floor. Tsunade was out for the rest of the morning until Shizune woke her up. Glancing outside, Sakura noted the sky's dimly lit horizon, the sun would no doubt be rising within the next hour. Moving to her Shishou's desk, she placed a hand to the handle of a drawer and pulled it gently open, pulling from it a chakra laced scroll with a seal on it that kept unwanted parties from reading its contents. As far as the scroll was concerned, she wasn't an unwanted party...but she was going to use the scroll for something her Shishou would no doubt be very displeased about. She was certain of that. Turning, she left through the Hokage towers' lookout...making certain that she left no trail to follow.

 **-x-x-x-**

 **Me: Here is the OFFICIAL first chapter, I hope you enjoy it! So, to clear up some things, this will be a very Sakura centric fic for the first ten chapters, then perspective WILL change. I'll jump back and we will continue in the eyes of Naruto. I'm trying a new type of writing style, and I'd really appreciate the feedback of my readers. Let me know what you think so far~!**


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